title: The patient in jeopardy: how the low back pain patient becomes disabled.
abstract: Dr. Sommer divides the low back pain episode into four stages that can lead to patient disablement. Contributing factors include: suboptimal training for the diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal disorders and resultant physician anxiety; a compensation system that demands proof; physician wariness of chronic pain patients; transformation of worker from person to patient to claimant; and the complexities of determining impairment and disability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Sommer
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations